What led to Margaret Thatcher's resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?

Answer 1

A combination of things. Poll tax was one of the issues, as was the high interest rates of 15% (makes the interest rates now seem reasonable). Another issue was her strong personality. She led from the front, and would tell her cabinet what to do. They did not like that. Also, her standing in the polls was falling, the Tories were possibly going to loose the 1992 election and they were up against the unelectable Kinnock.

So they got rid of her. Helestine (an MP who fell out with her) challenged her for the leadership after gaining enough support to do so. After the first round of votes in the leadership contest, she was going to fight in the second, but changed her mind. John Major was chose leader and managed to salvage enough votes in the 1992 election to last till 1997.

Answer 2

The Poll Tax was ultimately her downfall - a very unpopular tax and one of the few occasions where Britons took to the streets and had a good old-fashioned riot against her policies. Her days were then numbered. There was disagreement over European policy as well, and ultimately Michael Heseltine stepped up to stab her in the back and call for a leadership contest. Thatcher won, but didn't secure enough votes to avoid a second round of votes, and knowing she couldn't win she ultimately resigned, and John Major went on to win the contest.

Gordon Brown could learn a lesson from all this. Another mass protest by the masses is surely overdue, and if it isn't opposition to Identity Cards and the Big Brother state, it will probably be about Fuel Tax Duty. The French take to the streets all the time, but we lost the stomach for it years ago. One really unpopular move and it will be March 1990 all over again! Power to the People!! :-)

Answer 3

Most of the replies here are partly correct, but the most damning was the perception of corruption which was rife in the tory party - jobs for the boys and brown paper envelopes filled with cash, insider dealing, changing boundary lines to ensure constituencies which favoured tory candidates were created, council house sell-offs to tory voters. Most of the media supported the tories and the media barons profited greatly under Thatcher who had led the sale of all of the nationalised industries, everything from coal and steel, to the railways, gas, electricity, and telecommunications. These were the companies who gave vast amounts of money to the tory party and rewarded individual ministers with high paid directorships in those companies.

Of course Thatcher had to fall on her sword at the end because it was perceived that the tories would have lost the election otherwise, John Major stepped in as Mr Gray and saved the day but the writing was on the wall and the corruption ran too deep and it looks pretty much like history could be repeating itself with the current Labour administration, only time will tell!

Answer 4

I think the old crow went crackers. Quite possibly mad cow disease. Anyway she went barking. You could tell by the way her eyeballs rolled back in her head when she was asked a question. It also concerned me that when she answered a question she would smack her lips and gaze at the throat of whoever was interviewing her. She just seemed to drift off into some kind of alternate dimension and high speed orbit around a distant galaxy. Woa, and that woman had her finger on the nuclear button? Good grief, can you imagine if Maggie and her buddy Ronald Ray gun had spent any more time together? Oh and God forbid that they had both been in power today. They would have had old Madman Insane over for dinner instead of hanging him for his war crimes in Iraq.

Answer 5

it truly is an argument of opinion. She changed into very top Wing. some argue that she take loose milk from college little ones and close lots of the first and secondary organization down in favour of banking. Others say she changed into an awesome first lady best minister with lengthy operating hours and a technological knowledge degree also that she received appreciate from the soviet union for being solid willed.

Answer 6

I remember that time very well.. It was the Poll tax, there was Riots taken onto the streets even about it in london and up North, it did lead to her downfall, it was an unfair tax at the time, yet the council tax we have now is MORE unfair than the poll tax in the thatcher times, strange how no one riots about that now days..... hmmmm

Answer 7

She had a puppet to put in place all groomed for the 'role' of PM (John Major) and the timing was right to call an election that would have a favorable outcome.

Answer 8

I think her ultimate downfall was the introduction of the Poll Tax

Answer 9

She was kicked by her own party for her years of political terrorism.

Answer 10

I think she was kicked out by her party actually; she'd become a megalomaniac.